1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention is computer graphical user interface.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Toolbars have become a standard feature of computer software applications. Even menus have become ensconced in toolbars. The reason is that toolbars offer immediate, single-click access to commonly used features. The tools themselves, often iconically symbolic, become instantly recognizable, and thus, affording rapid recognition, accommodate efficient action.
A recent advance has been to visually distinguish groups of tools, as a further means for more efficient recognition of tools by similar functionality. What has been lacking are the means for allowing easy user manipulation of tool groups as an integral entity.